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Romeo and Juliet Literary Analysis Essay

Writing Prompt:

An important question that Shakespeare poses in this play is who or what is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Are Romeo and Juliet responsible for the fates that befall them, or should others take responsibility for their deaths? In a five paragraph essay, you must analyze what are the contributing factors that lead to the final tragedy. You may analyze the characters themselves or situations and social factors that contribute to the deaths of these two young lovers. You will select three factors that will be outlined in a directional thesis and will form the topics of your three body paragraphs.

Requirements:
-5 Paragraphs including introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
-MLA format
-A strong directional thesis that directly outlines your three topic sentences for each body paragraph
-Body Paragraphs that are 11 sentences and include quotations to support your topic sentences
-Integrated Quotations! Use a lead-in for all quotations. A lead-in is a short explanation of the quote and who is saying it. For example: When she saw the car crash, Jane turned to Steve and said, "Look what happened." Do not use naked quotations--do not just stick quotes into a paragraph with no setup or lead-in.
-Conclusion: Restates the three main points you proved, connects to larger themes/ideas—the “universal statement”

Building the Foundation of your essay
You will write a five paragraph essay on Romeo and Juliet. Filling in the following organizer will help you build the foundation for your essay.

Building Block # 1 Creating the Thesis

A thesis statement is the first building block for your essay; everything else in your essay is built around it. A thesis statement is a sentence which tells what you will prove in your essay. A directional thesis will outline the main points of your essay.

Sample: In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, (identify three factors)

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